American mauled by chimps has 6-hour surgery

A U.S. student was viciously attacked by two chimpanzees at preserve in South Africa. His sister says he lost his ears, a leg and toes in the attack. NBC's Rohit Kachroo reports.

By NBC News' Rohit Kachroo and The Associated Press

A U.S. graduate student who was attacked by two chimpanzees while leading a tour at a sanctuary for abused animals underwent six hours of surgery on Sunday at a hospital in South Africa.

Andrew Oberle, 26, suffered extensive soft-tissue injuries to his arms and legs. His wounds were cleaned and stitched under induced sedation, said officials at Mediclinic Nelspruit hospital in Nelspruit, a city east of Johannesburg. He remained in critical but stable condition.

?


Oberle, a University of Texas at San Antonio graduate student, was mauled Thursday by two large male chimpanzees?who pulled him?under a fence into their enclosure at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden near Nelspruit.

Oberle's sister, Elizabeth Sosa, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Oberle, who grew up in St. Louis, lost his ears, his left arm and all his toes in the attack.

Chimp Eden, a joint venture with the ape conservation institute founded by renowned U.S. primatologist Jane Goodall, is a sanctuary for ill-treated chimpanzees rescued from the illegal pet and bush meat trades and from the entertainment industry.

NBC News

Andrew F. Oberle was attacked by chimpanzees at an animal sanctuary in South Africa.

Sanctuary director David Oosthuizen said Oberle was?working on?a master?s degree in anthropology and primatology and was inspired by Goodall to study chimps. He was working as a guide and was with a group of tourists at an enclosure holding adult male chimpanzees when he was attacked by two of the larger males, named Nikki and Amadeus.

At a press conference Sunday, Eugene Cussons, managing director of the chimp sanctuary and host of the Animal Planet show "Escape to Chimp Eden," said the animals became aggressive when Oberle tried to retrieve a rock from within their enclosure, according to NBC News.

Witnesses?reported seeing?Oberle climb over an outer fence into a ?no go zone? and step onto a rock jammed against the mesh of an inner fence, apparently so the chimp couldn?t take it and use it as a projectile, Cussons said. That?s when one chimp reached under the fence, grabbed Oberle?s foot and dragged him about 100 feet, Cussons said.

Oberle struggled, was repeatedly bitten?and became partially lodged underneath the fence.

The two chimps then turned on a vehicle that included sanctuary staff. They decided they couldn't get out to retrieve Andrew, so they retreated to a safe zone and prepared darting equipment.

Cussons said he got out of the vehicle with a handgun and fired two rounds toward the chimps. The gunfire did nothing so Cussons retreated back to the vehicle.

One chimp then jumped onto the vehicle and broke the windshield. Cussons said he fired one round through the window, striking Nikki. The wounded chimp made "vocalizations of submission and anxiety" and walked away, Cussons said.

Cussons then found the injured Oberle, with deep lacerations and extensive damage to his hands and feet. An ambulance arrived and took him away.

It was the first such attack since Cussons, working with Goodall's renowned international institute, converted part of his family's game farm into the sanctuary in 2006.

?You can train for it, you can do your best to prepare," Cussons told The Associated Press. "But when it actually happens, it's shocking and traumatic for everyone."

Cussons said it was the first time he had asked Oberle to speak to visitors. The student had arrived last month for a follow-up visit after an extended stay to observe the chimps a year or so ago, Cussons said. As a researcher, Cussons said Oberle had been trained to ensure he understood how the animals might behave and knew to keep a safe distance. Cussons said Oberle was given additional training before addressing the tour group.

Cussons said Oberle broke the rules by going through the first of two fences that separate humans from the chimps. The chimps then grabbed him and pulled him under the second fence, which is electrified. Cussons said it was unclear why Oberle had moved so dangerously close.

Oberle's mother, Mary Flint, said Friday that her son knew the risks of working with chimps and would not want them blamed for the attack.

"He adored them," she said. "Since he was a little boy he just loved them, and I just have faith that ... when all is said and done, he's going to go right back into it."

The sanctuary remained closed Sunday.

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? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/01/12509158-texas-graduate-student-attacked-by-chimps-at-goodall-sanctuary-in-south-africa-undergoes-6-hours-of-surgery?lite

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APA task force recommends treatment guidelines and position statements on transgender persons

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 2-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Joan Robinson
joan.robinson@springer.com
49-622-148-78130
Springer

Report just published in Springer's Archives of Sexual Behavior

A report from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Task Force on Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) recommends the development of clinical practice guidelines for psychiatrists caring for patients who are transgender. The report also encourages the development of position statements regarding the health care and civil rights of people who are gender variant or transitioning gender. The task force report is available online in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

The task force was charged with reviewing the scientific literature regarding gender identity disorder at different stages in a person's life. It examined the research and clinical evidence relating to treatment, and provided an opinion as to whether or not the APA should develop practice recommendations. The literature regarding treatment of gender dysphoria, or discomfort about one's own gender, in individuals with disorders of sex development was also assessed.

The report concluded that the quality of research evidence pertaining to most aspects of treatment for GID is not robust, but clinical consensus is sufficient to support the development of recommendations for the clinical management of GID in all age groups.

The task force also recommended that the APA create a separate mechanism for assessing the mental health needs of individuals with disorders of sex development, whether gender dysphoria is present or not.

In addition, the report recommended that the APA provide statements clarifying its positions on several issues. These include supporting the medical necessity of treatment for GID, defining the ethical issues regarding treatments for minors with GID or other manifestations of gender variance, and supporting the civil rights of persons who are gender variant, transgender, or transsexual.

The task force was formed to address concerns different from the diagnostic aspects of GID that were being considered as part of the next edition of the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Although psychiatric diagnosis and treatment are linked, they are separate aspects of clinical mental health practice, and the DSM does not make recommendations for treatment. The APA first introduced GID as a diagnostic condition in the 1980 DSM, but has not taken any official position on treatment or other concerns of transgender persons.

Task Force Chair William Byne, M.D., Ph.D., said, "The American Medical Association has adopted a resolution supporting insurance coverage for medically necessary treatment for individuals diagnosed with GID. The task force report recommends the APA adopt a similar position, and issue other statements in support of the rights of gender variant persons."

###

The full task force report is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9975-x.

Notes:
1. Byne, W., et al. (2012). Report of the American Psychiatric Association Task Force on Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior; DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9975-x
2. The task force report includes an appendix identifying health care policy and civil rights issues important to transgender persons and their treating clinicians, for use in specific policy development by the APA and other health care organizations.

The full-text report is also available to journalists on request.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 2-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Joan Robinson
joan.robinson@springer.com
49-622-148-78130
Springer

Report just published in Springer's Archives of Sexual Behavior

A report from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Task Force on Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) recommends the development of clinical practice guidelines for psychiatrists caring for patients who are transgender. The report also encourages the development of position statements regarding the health care and civil rights of people who are gender variant or transitioning gender. The task force report is available online in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

The task force was charged with reviewing the scientific literature regarding gender identity disorder at different stages in a person's life. It examined the research and clinical evidence relating to treatment, and provided an opinion as to whether or not the APA should develop practice recommendations. The literature regarding treatment of gender dysphoria, or discomfort about one's own gender, in individuals with disorders of sex development was also assessed.

The report concluded that the quality of research evidence pertaining to most aspects of treatment for GID is not robust, but clinical consensus is sufficient to support the development of recommendations for the clinical management of GID in all age groups.

The task force also recommended that the APA create a separate mechanism for assessing the mental health needs of individuals with disorders of sex development, whether gender dysphoria is present or not.

In addition, the report recommended that the APA provide statements clarifying its positions on several issues. These include supporting the medical necessity of treatment for GID, defining the ethical issues regarding treatments for minors with GID or other manifestations of gender variance, and supporting the civil rights of persons who are gender variant, transgender, or transsexual.

The task force was formed to address concerns different from the diagnostic aspects of GID that were being considered as part of the next edition of the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Although psychiatric diagnosis and treatment are linked, they are separate aspects of clinical mental health practice, and the DSM does not make recommendations for treatment. The APA first introduced GID as a diagnostic condition in the 1980 DSM, but has not taken any official position on treatment or other concerns of transgender persons.

Task Force Chair William Byne, M.D., Ph.D., said, "The American Medical Association has adopted a resolution supporting insurance coverage for medically necessary treatment for individuals diagnosed with GID. The task force report recommends the APA adopt a similar position, and issue other statements in support of the rights of gender variant persons."

###

The full task force report is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9975-x.

Notes:
1. Byne, W., et al. (2012). Report of the American Psychiatric Association Task Force on Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder. Archives of Sexual Behavior; DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9975-x
2. The task force report includes an appendix identifying health care policy and civil rights issues important to transgender persons and their treating clinicians, for use in specific policy development by the APA and other health care organizations.

The full-text report is also available to journalists on request.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/s-atf070212.php

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Former U.S. astronaut Poindexter dies in watercraft accident

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Mon Jul 2, 2012 4:28pm EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida

(Reuters) - Alan Poindexter, a two-time space shuttle astronaut, has died after a personal watercraft accident in Pensacola, Florida, NASA said on Monday.

Poindexter, 50, was riding WaveRunners with his two sons in Little Sabine Bay at Pensacola Beach on Sunday when the accident occurred, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

Poindexter and his 22-year-old son Samuel were riding on one WaveRunner and his older son, 26-year-old Zachary, was on another, spokesman Stan Kirkland said.

"They stopped and apparently Zachary did not see them stop," Kirkland said. "He struck the right rear or the right stern of their personal watercraft. His watercraft went up and apparently struck Captain Poindexter in the back. Both Captain Poindexter and Samuel were ejected."

The former astronaut was pulled from the water and taken to the beach where friends attempted to revive him. He was flown by helicopter to Baptist Hospital where he died from his injuries, Kirkland said.

Poindexter's sons were not injured. All three men were wearing life jackets as required by law, Kirkland said.

"It's technically still under investigation until our report is completed," he said, but added that investigators were satisfied it was an accident and considered it "a terrible tragedy."

Poindexter is the son of former U.S. National Security Adviser John Poindexter, who served in the Reagan administration.

Poindexter, who went by the nickname "Dex," made two space flights during his career with NASA. In February 2008, he was the pilot aboard the shuttle Atlantis on a mission to deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory module to the International Space Station.

Poindexter returned to space in April 2010 as commander of the shuttle Discovery on one of the final cargo runs to the station before the shuttles were retired.

?"The NASA family was sad to learn of the passing of our former friend and colleague Alan Poindexter," NASA wrote in a Facebook post. ?"Our thought and hearts are with his family."

?"He was a talented, courageous Navy veteran with gifts," astronaut Greg Johnson wrote on Twitter. "?Dex was a lovable guy with a strong work ethic."

A captain in the U.S. Navy, Poindexter left NASA in December 2010 to become dean of students at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He earned a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the school in 1995.

Poindexter was born in 1961 in Pasadena, California, but considered Rockville, Maryland, to be his hometown. He earned a bachelor of aerospace engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, then was commissioned in the Navy.

Poindexter flew combat missions in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch, then became a test pilot. He logged more than 4,000 hours flying time in more than 30 types of aircraft.

He was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps in June 1998. His wife Lisa is from Gulf Breeze, Florida, near where the accident occurred.

(Additional reporting by Jane Sutton; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/I-gSP1ndXEE/us-usa-astronaut-poindexter-idUSBRE8610W220120702

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Feds propose $3.7M penalty for Mich. oil spill

FILE- In this July 29, 2010, file photo, a worker monitors water in Talmadge Creek in Marshall Township, Mich., near the Kalamazoo River as oil from a ruptured pipeline, owned by Enbridge Inc., is attempted to be trapped by booms. On Monday, July 2, 2012, federal regulators proposed a $3.7 million civil penalty against the Canadian owner of the ruptured pipeline which dumped more than 800 million gallons of oil into the river. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

FILE- In this July 29, 2010, file photo, a worker monitors water in Talmadge Creek in Marshall Township, Mich., near the Kalamazoo River as oil from a ruptured pipeline, owned by Enbridge Inc., is attempted to be trapped by booms. On Monday, July 2, 2012, federal regulators proposed a $3.7 million civil penalty against the Canadian owner of the ruptured pipeline which dumped more than 800 million gallons of oil into the river. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

(AP) ? Federal regulators proposed a $3.7 million civil penalty Monday against the Canadian owner of a pipeline that ruptured in 2010, dumping more than 800,000 gallons of oil into a southwestern Michigan river.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said the penalty against Enbridge Inc. would be the largest it has imposed. In a letter to the company, the agency listed 24 violations of hazardous liquid pipeline regulations, including failure to fix corrosion problems in the damaged pipe joint discovered as far back as 2004.

It also said the company had failed to detect the rupture for 17 hours after it happened during a scheduled shutdown July 25, 2010. Instead, Enbridge personnel twice restarted the line despite receiving multiple alarms and "indications of abnormal operating conditions" in its control center.

More than 680,000 gallons of crude was injected into the pipe during that period, "causing the total spill volume to greatly exceed Enbridge's worst case discharge scenario for this location," said the letter signed by David Barrett, director of PHMSA's central region office. The oil leaked into the Kalamazoo River and a tributary creek.

"We will hold pipeline operators accountable if they do not follow proper safety procedures to protect the environment and local communities," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

Enbridge, based in Calgary, Alberta, has 30 days to respond. It could accept the agency's findings and pay the penalty or request a hearing before an administrative judge.

The company said it was cooperating with investigators and would not provide detailed comment until analyzing the agency's letter.

"Enbridge appreciates the hard work and due diligence that PHMSA has put into this investigation," said Stephen Wuori, president for liquid pipelines. He said the company had improved its control center operations and training since the Michigan spill.

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to issue a report next week on what caused the rupture in the 30-inch pipeline extending from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario.

Barrett's letter said the break happened on the day Enbridge was conducting the latest in a series of inspections, using a tool that was left inside the line until after it was restarted more than two months later.

Enbridge's control center in Edmonton, Alberta, was undertaking what was supposed to be a 10-hour shutdown of the pipe when the failure occurred around 6 p.m. EDT, setting off alarms, Barrett's letter said. Instead of implementing procedures for dealing with emergencies and suspected leaks, operators left the line idle.

Around 4 a.m. on July 26, 2010, a different crew restarted the line and soon received alarms and troubling messages: Pressure at the Marshall pumping station wasn't rising as expected and there was a significant imbalance between the volume of oil being pumped into the line and the volume it was delivering.

Still, personnel took no emergency actions and kept the oil flowing for an hour, sending more than 439,000 gallons of heavy crude into the pipe. After evaluating the situation they again started the line. Despite receiving more alarms, they injected nearly 243,000 additional gallons over a half-hour before shutting it down again.

"By this time the prospects of a suspected leak had been openly discussed by various ... personnel, yet the Enbridge procedures for a suspected leak were not executed," Barrett said.

At 11:18 a.m., nearly 17 hours after the failure, a natural gas worker with Consumers Energy notified Enbridge that oil had been spotted in a creek near Marshall. Only then did the control center close remotely operated valves, isolating a 3-mile-long stretch of line that including the rupture.

Outlining specific regulatory violations, Barrett said Enbridge inspections in 2004 had turned up corrosion problems along the weld seam of the pipe joint that eventually would fail. In 2005, "crack-like anomalies" were found on the same joint. No repairs were made. The agency assessed the largest portion of the penalty ? $1 million ? for that alleged failure.

Most of the other violations drew $100,000 penalties.

Despite the largest fine ever levied by PHMSA, the $3.7 million total is much less than what companies have paid out for other large spills. Officials have yet to determine the fine against BP PLC for Clean Water Act violations from the Gulf of Mexico spill, but they could range from $5.4 billion to $21.1 billion.

Anthony Swift, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the pipeline agency lacks authority to impose meaningful punishment.

"With projects this big, a fine of less than $4 million becomes a minimal cost of doing business rather than a real motivator to follow safety standards," Swift said.

Enbridge has estimated it cleanup costs at about $700 million.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-02-Michigan%20Oil%20Spill/id-7fcab10f2abb4019a0c64ad6a40468d8

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Stock market rises in early trading as US awaits jobs report

The stock market is rising in early trading Monday on hopes for new measures to deal with the eurozone debt crisis. But investors on the stock market are awaiting a critical US jobs report, to be released Friday.

By The Associated Press / July 2, 2012

Specialists Frank Masello, left, and John T. O'Hara work on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York shortly before the closing bell on Friday, June 29, 2012. Stock market futures rose early Monday, July 2, 2012, with the Dow up 14 points to 12822.

David Karp/AP/File

Enlarge

U.S. stock futures are edging up on optimism about recently announced measures in Europe to stave off a debt crisis and hopes that interest rates there will be cut this week. But the gains are being tempered with more evidence of a slowdown in China.

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Investors are also awaiting the U.S. jobs report set to be released Friday.

Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 14 points to 12,822 on Monday. Standard & Poor's 500 futures are up 2.1 points to 1,358.50 and Nasdaq futures gained 3.75 points to 2,613.50.

China's manufacturing grew at the slowest pace in seven months in June, according to a survey released over the weekend. That could signal limited power in Beijing to forestall a more rapid decline for the world's second largest economy.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/NlWx47bovUA/Stock-market-rises-in-early-trading-as-US-awaits-jobs-report

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George Clooney to Host Another Obama Fundraiser ? This Time in Switzerland

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/george-clooney-host-another-obama-fundraiser-time-switzerland-040407274.html

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Palfrey beyond halfway point in Cuba-Florida swim

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey begins her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey begins her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey, begins her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)(AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey says goodbye before beginning her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey and her husband Chris rub creme on her body in preparation for her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey smiles as she is flashed a thumbs up at the start of her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

(AP) ? Endurance swimmer Penny Palfrey muscled past the halfway mark Saturday as she pushed through the Florida Straits, enduring jellyfish stings but otherwise encountering perfect conditions in her attempt to become the first woman to swim unassisted more than 100 miles from Cuba to the Florida Keys.

The British-born Australian was swimming steady and strong and reported no physical complaints, according to her support team.

At about 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) roughly 34 hours into the swim, the 49-year-old grandmother was 69 miles (111 kilometers) from her starting point at a marina in the Cuban capital, according to her web site's GPS tracking report. She was positioned about 38 miles (61.15 kilometers) southwest of Key West.

Previously, her personal best was 67 miles (108 kilometers) when she swam between Little Cayman and Grand Cayman islands last year, according to Andrea Woodburn, part of her support team in the Keys.

Palfrey reapplied sunscreen and grease to prevent chafing and said the water conditions had been excellent other than the extreme heat. She even spotted a few hammerhead sharks and dolphin pods. Crew members said she was barking orders at team members accompanying her on kayaks and a catamaran as she kept up a torrid pace in a battle that tested the limits of human endurance.

She is "physically and mentally strong," Woodburn said, adding that the bathwater-warm waters remained calm. "The conditions couldn't be better and she continues to progress to the Florida Keys."

The 20-year veteran of distance swimming is no stranger to jellyfish stings, which forced her to abort two past swims in Hawaii.

Palfrey set off from Havana early Friday. A member of her crew was tweeting to fans, while a webpage updated her location every 10 minutes or so based on data from a GPS device worn by the swimmer.

The GPS device showed she reached the halfway point near midday Friday, according to her website.

The daunting effort has been commonly reported as a 103-mile (166-kilometer) swim, however the GPS coordinates suggest it is more like 107 miles (172 kilometer).

Multiple challenges loomed as Palfrey endured a second day, including the prospect of physical and mental fatigue and fending off dehydration, hypothermia and potentially dangerous marine life. At her current rate, it would take her a bit more than 56 hours to complete the swim, slightly above her initial estimates. Woodburn believes if she continues the pace, Palfrey could arrive Sunday morning.

If Palfrey succeeds, she'll go in the record books as the first woman to swim the Straits without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. Her support team consisted of more than a dozen navigators, handlers and medical personnel who were escorting her on the 44-foot (13-meter) catamaran Sealuver.

Woodburn said that Palfrey is being hydrated every half-hour with a liquid concoction containing electrolytes and carbohydrates.

Australian Susie Maroney made the crossing in 1997 at age 22, but with a shark cage. American Diana Nyad made two unsuccessful cageless attempts last year on either side of her 62nd birthday, but had to call them off due to a debilitating asthma attack and painful Portuguese man o' war stings. She has announced plans to try again this summer.

Nyad's twitter feed displayed several messages focused on Palfrey's effort.

"I'm sure our team will learn from her crossing," one tweet reported. "Just as, I'm sure, Penny's team has learned from Diana's attempts"

Nyad's trainer, Bonnie Stoll, tweeted "Right now, Diana and I are staying focused on Diana's swim. We are in tunnel vision mode."

Palfrey began the swim in a regular sporting swimsuit, but put on a porous, non-buoyant Lycra bodysuit Friday night to provide cover down to the wrists and ankles to fend off jellyfish stings. But as the sun rose Saturday morning, she changed back to the sport swimsuit.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-06-30-US-Cuba-Swimming-to-Florida/id-6b4950f4e22f4ef58045fbebe764f042

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HBT: Carlos Lee mulling deal to Dodgers

UPDATE:?Lee told MLB.com?s Brian McTaggart that he expects to make a decision Sunday.

1:43 PM: ESPN?s Buster Olney reports that as of this early afternoon, Carlos Lee continues to tell the Astros that he will not waive his no-trade clause.

Joining a contender should be a no-brainer, right? Not so easy. As Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com notes, Lee has a successful cattle ranch in Texas and is quite comfortable there.

1:01 PM: It appears the Astros and Dodgers have reached agreement on a deal that would send Carlos Lee to Los Angeles. However, Lee must waive his partial no-trade clause for the deal to go through.

According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com,?Lee said the Dodgers have made him an an offer and he?s currently mulling over whether he will accept. He said he was given no deadline to make a decision. As of now, he is in the lineup for this afternoon?s game against the Cubs.

Lee, who turned 36 earlier this month, is hitting .290/.342/.412 with five homers, 29 RBI and a .754 OPS in 257 plate appearances this year. This includes a .667 OPS and zero homers on the road. His arrival would push James Loney into a part-time role.

Lee is due roughly $9 million for the rest of this season before hitting free agency and it?s believed the Dodgers are willing to absorb his remaining salary rather than give up a significant prospect. Garrett Gould, a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher, was scratched from a start with with High-A Rancho Cucamonga last night and could be headed to the Astros. Baseball America ranked him as the Dodgers? No. 6 prospect during the offseason.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/30/carlos-lee-mulling-over-whether-to-accept-deal-to-dodgers/related/

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MMObility: Google's Nexus tablet and Dark Legends' update

Some weeks, mobile news just comes right up to my doorstep and invites itself in. This was one of those weeks. The mobile MMO market is still only a fraction the size of the standard one, but thanks in large part to browser-based games and smart studios like Spacetime Studios and Gameloft, we mobile fans still have a lot to choose from. In my opinion, mobile MMO gaming will slowly rise to the popularity of the standard mobile game market, especially given new tech like the new Google Nexus 7 tablet that we're going to talk about today.

Still, mobile MMO fans have got to be diligent and need to know what to look for. They also need to be a bit flexible in their game choices, sometimes playing around with different styles of MMO like MUDs, browser-based strategy games, and games that are a bit more primitive in the graphics department. Luckily, Spacetime's Dark Legends just released a pretty game-changing patch, so I'll give you the skinny on that as well.

First, Google's new tablet, the Nexus. It's a smaller tab, but I've started to grow fond of the smaller sizes. I get time with my wife's iPad 2 and like what I find, but there are several differences that make the Nexus a neat tab and even maybe an iPad alternative. (Note that I did not say iPad "killer.") It has a nice, 1.3 GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core CPU, and that includes a 12-core GPU and one gig of RAM. Those are pretty impressive processing stats, especially for a seven-inch tablet. The screen is 1280x800 pixels but doesn't come with a slot for expandable memory cards.

If you're a Google fanatic like I am, you are already using many of its services. Google Play is the company's digital marketplace and includes books, games, movies and music. If you pre-order the Nexus tablet (for its July release), it comes with $25 in Google Play credit. For handheld MMO fans, this really doesn't make much of a difference unless we can use the credits to buy the in-game cash that comes with many free-to-play mobile MMOs. Even then, that $25 will buy you several books, single-player games, or albums, but a few good movies would probably fill the 8- or 16-gig hard drive a bit too fast.

The prices start at only $199 for the 8-gig size and $249 for the 16-gig, but bear in mind that Google is a company that wants you to work in the cloud, which is something you're probably already doing from your home PC. I use Google's documents, Google Hangouts for a videocast, and Google Drive for a constantly updating stream of files, and of course, most of my work is done through Google's Chrome browser. I have even begun to use Google chat for taking voicemails and for chatting with all of my friends. Honestly, Google provides some of the very best and easiest-to-use tools out there, all for the low cost of free. The Nexus tablet looks a lot of fun just for the fact that it provides more impressive stats than other seven-inchers but ties in (seemingly) so nicely with Google Play, so it looks to be a great deal. I've yet to order mine and will wait on just a few more reviews before I do, but my next tech purchase will probably be a Nexus. I'd love to see a 4G version that would provide me with an always-on connection. If that happened, I'd be a very happy mobile gamer.

Since I'm speaking of mobile MMOs, let's move on to the slightly controversial Dark Legends by Spacetime Studios, which just released a major patch that takes away the energy requirement for 3-D missions. If this doesn't make sense to you, allow me to explain. A while ago I sat in on a Google hangout with Cinco Barnes, the big cheese over at the mobile studio, to discuss many aspects of the game. While I enjoyed myself during play, the fact that an energy mechanic sometimes stood between players and the only action-based dungeons in the game didn't sit very well with many members of the community.

Luckily the developers listened and took away the energy requirement, so now players will only have to keep it in mind when performing non-combat tasks. Players can also now hire allies to do their bidding, essentially paying an NPC to go off for a certain amount of time and return later with a shiny or two. The cost is a bit of energy, and depending on the task, time. It's a cool way to have the game work for you while you're away; it's perhaps the last task you do right before you log off. The timer ticks down, and you come back the next day to collect your goods.

The developers have also added a daily login bonus, new items in the store, and a series of goals that entice players to learn some of the basics of the game. All in all, it's a pretty robust series of changes to the game, but if the studio's other titles are any indication, there will be a lot more changes to come in the future. The action sequences in the game really are where it shines, and playing on a phone feels much more natural than playing through the browser. However, those of us who can't play long while holding a phone do like to have that browser option. In fact, if you play in the browser but are having issues with the game fitting to your screen size, here is a helpful article that will give you a fix. I found it easy to make my game run in a widescreen mode, a much better experience especially for those used to running it on a mobile device.

Hopefully, within a few weeks, we will be reading more reviews about the new Nexus 7 tablet. Until then, I'll be killing zombies and sucking the blood out of victims in Dark Legends.

Each week in MMObility, Beau Hindman dives into the murky waters of the most accessible and travel-friendly games around, including browser-based and smartphone MMOs. Join him as he investigates the best, worst, and most daring games to hit the smallest devices! Email him suggestions, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/mmobility-googles-nexus-tablet-and-dark-legends-update/

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Mobile Device Security Is Up To The One Holding It | The Small ...

Mobile Device Security Is Up To The One Holding It
Friday, June 29th, 2012 | By The Small Business Authority

Corporations were slow to embrace smartphones (think of all the trouble that an iPhone user had, even if the CEO had one too), but with tablets ? not so much. The advent of the iPad and other tablets has shown that a multi-use, touch-screen device can be both superior and more portable than a laptop ? combining the best of a computer with greater flexibility. As a result, tablets are the ?go-to? device that personnel are now turning to in greater numbers, regardless of whether they?re in the office or in the field.

But the double-edged sword here is that the tablet is not being taken seriously when it comes to security. In fact, many users don?t even consider that what they?re holding IS a computer. As a result, pertinent and proprietary data are treated in a cavalier fashion ? even though it?s no safer than any computer accessing the ?Cloud? without some type of anti-infiltration software running.

The real truth is that the individual must be responsible for keeping the tablet?s contents safe. Even if there are applications that have been created and tailored for the company, it?s the individual who must be aware of the security settings that are available to use with that app ? and the tablet in general. IT?s job is to present the security differences to the individual when the tablet?s operating system is upgraded; but when it comes to proactive, rather than reactive, it?s the one using the tablet who must bear the responsibility. And they must be savvy enough ? whether that is native to their intelligence or the result of it having been drummed into them by IT ? to make intelligent decisions as to the how and when of transmitting data from the tablet back to the company. For example, a local ?hotspot? might be appealing or more viable than using a secure VPN network, but the opportunities for that data being ?captured? are much greater.

Making the mobile device ?secure? isn?t just about online connectivity. That the mobile device can be physically lost or stolen must be considered as well. While it?s true that the contents can sometimes be ?wiped? remotely by IT, when you consider the amount of time that can transpire between the loss of the mobile device to when IT is notified, it is more sensible to have enacted passwords to protect against unauthorized persons using the device from the get-go.

The bottom line is that those using mobile devices must be educated into understanding that the inherent problems involving security, both online and off, are as valid for a mobile device like a tablet as they are for a computer. Once the mobile device is no longer erroneously thought of as inherently secure, the sooner will corporations be safeguarded.

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Tags: Security, Technology

Source: http://www.thesba.com/2012/06/29/mobile-device-security-is-up-to-the-one-holding-it/

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